


The Language of Flowers

by seraphina_snape



Series: Team Thief V-Day Ficlets [7]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Jealousy, Russian Translation Available, Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-17
Updated: 2013-02-17
Packaged: 2017-11-29 13:26:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/687467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seraphina_snape/pseuds/seraphina_snape
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Severus and Hermione don't celebrate Valentine's Day. But then a new professor starts paying too much attention to Hermione and Severus begins to reconsider.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Language of Flowers

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lotrangel17](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lotrangel17/gifts).



> Written for the Team Thief V-Day Love Fest. This fic is for [**lotrangel17**](http://lotrangel17.livejournal.com/profile).
> 
>  **New:** Now with Russian Translation: [click here](https://ficbook.net/readfic/4722132) \- translated by [Nastya_books](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Nastya_books/pseuds/Nastya_books). Thank you so much for taking the time to translate this story.

In the early days of their relationship they'd had an incredibly awkward conversation about Valentine's Day, prompted by Minerva asking if they had special plans for the day. Severus had looked a bit like a Muggle caught in the crossfire of a wizard's duel, that is to say his eyes had widened slightly in what might have been panic, and his sneer had got a little more pronounced to make up for the slip. Hermione had stammered out an answer that seemed to satisfy Minerva - and made the other teachers who were shamelessly listening in chuckle into their breakfast. 

That evening, two days before Valentine's Day, Hermione and Severus had both agreed that they neither needed nor wanted to participate in the mindless pursuit of romantic _shenanigans_ and decided to spend the day either down in his quarters or up in hers, quietly preparing lessons, marking essays or simply reading for the pleasure of it. Nothing much changed when Hermione moved into the dungeons permanently a few years later. And nothing changed when Hermione and Severus got married not much after that or when Severus replaced Minerva as Headmaster of Hogwarts. 

That, however, had been before Severus made the unfortunate mistake to hire Aloysius 'Call me Al, I _insist_ ' Holbreath as the new Arithmancy teacher. From his first day in the castle, Holbreath had made it his mission in life to get on Severus' last nerve. 

Over the past five and a half months, Severus had been tempted to hex Holbreath a total of twenty-eight times. Not a very high number at first glance, but it did mean Severus had felt murderous rage towards the man roughly every six days. Those incidents always coincided with occasions where Holbreath would make unseemly and definitely unwelcome advances on Hermione. Not even the fact that she was married - and pointed it out to him the first time he approached her - seemed to dissuade him from his quest to win Hermione's heart. Severus was not the least bit worried that Holbreath might succeed - Hermione had put up with him for the last twelve years and never even looked at anyone else with the slightest bit of passion in her eyes. 

But there was no denying how flustered Hermione got when Holbreath talked to her with intent, or the pleased flush creeping down her neck at being showered with compliments. It wasn't Holbreath - Severus was jealous, but not blind. Hermione had zero interest in the man and he wasn't jealous of Holbreath's carefully maintained golden curls or the man's more than adequate physique. No, Severus was jealous of the reaction the man got out of his wife. 

Severus knew ways to make Hermione blush and giggle, to make her glassy-eyed and blissed out with his touch and his voice. But he never quite managed to pull of the effortless way of pleasing her with little things the way Holbreath seemed to have mastered within a week of meeting her. It wasn't anything specific that Severus could mimic, unfortunately. 

First there were the compliments. Hermione was the most beautiful woman Severus knew and he did compliment her. But Holbreath found ways to compliment Hermione on the most inane things. He complimented the simple cut of her robes - they were ordinary teacher's robes that Hermione bought in bulk from Madam Malkin and Severus was sure Hermione hadn't given them any thought beyond the fact that they fit comfortably, weren't too expensive and were durable. He complimented her hair - so did Severus, but not on the days that Hermione forgot to brush it and simply charmed a ribbon into holding back the tangled mass of curls. According to Holbreath, though, it gave Hermione a fresh and sincere look, which in turn had made Hermione smile and blush. 

Then there were the gifts. Nothing too extravagant or outrageous. A new writing quill, the newest issue of _Terrific Transfigurations_ (Holbreath just happened to come across it in Hogsmeade and he'd thought that surely the esteemed Transfigurations professor would be interested in the article about botched re-transfigurations on page 19 - that one had rankled less when Hermione called the article biased and unscientific before returning to their discussion on the advances in healing potions), a piece of toffee (her favourite type of sweet). He and Hermione exchanged gifts on birthdays and at Christmas. 

And then there was everything else. The way he held the door open for her, slightly bowed at the waist as if to imply he was her servant (not that Hermione would appreciate it, she abhorred that sort of thing), the way he always made sure to sit next to or near Hermione and the way he always seemed cheerful and polite and engaged her in conversation about any topic she might want to discuss (even if Holbreath himself had no interest or no knowledge of that particular topic). This didn't win Holbreath many points with Hermione - she didn't suffer fools gladly - but she did occasionally seem glad for the attention. And it made Severus wonder. Was he attentive enough? Or was his harsh nature finally grating on Hermione and would eventually turn her away from him?

When Valentine's Day drew near and Severus noticed a speculative glint in Holbreath's eye whenever he looked at Hermione, Severus decided it was time to put his foot down. Valentine's Day fell on a Saturday. It was also a Hogsmeade weekend and Hermione had signed up as a chaperone several weeks ago. When Severus checked the list of teachers assigned to accompany the students to Hogsmeade, Holbreath's name was also on the list. Severus' first impulse was to persuade another teacher to take Hermione's place as a chaperone while he and Hermione stayed in their quarters all day. Eventually, though, he simply decided that maybe it was time they tried to do Valentine's Day the way consumerism and shop owner all over the world had intended it. 

The day dawned cold but sunny and Hermione took her cup of tea over to the window to stare as the last patches of fog rose into the air and dissipated. Severus came to stand behind her and he simply closed his eyes and breathed in the scent of Hermione when she leaned back into his chest. 

"I've decided to accompany you into Hogsmeade today," Severus eventually broke the silence.

"But it's Valentine's Day." 

"I have nothing against Valentine's Day." 

"No," Hermione said. "But you do have a problem with the way it turns all of our hormone-charged, teenage students into 'blithering idiots who wouldn't know where to stick it if they got half the chance', as I believe your words were." 

"Your ability to accurately quote my bitter rants back at me years later never ceases to astound me." Severus pressed a kiss to Hermione's temple. "I want a few books and a new silver cauldron." 

"Another one? Is your experiment still not going any better?" 

"No. The cauldron melted again."

"Maybe you do need to stir anti-clockwise." 

Severus shook his head. "No, it's probably the dragon's blood. I'm still working out the exact quantities I need to reach the effect I want without exploding or melting my cauldron." 

"I can take another look at the calculations for you tonight," Hermione offered. She glanced at the clock. "Nearly time to go." 

While they got ready, Severus reconsidered his plan. Hermione didn't act like she expected or even wanted flowers or chocolates or jewellery. She didn't seem to be disappointed that she hadn't woken up to a bed full of rose petals or an elaborate breakfast brought to her bedside. But any doubts Severus had about his plans were set to rest when they reached the entrance hall and Holbreath immediately descended on Hermione. He handed her a single bright yellow [coreopsis](http://www.flheritage.com/images/facts/symbols/coreopsis.jpg) and smiled winningly. Hermione's returning smile seemed a little strained to Severus and she gladly accepted his arm when he offered it. They left Holbreath on the front steps of Hogwarts as they followed the students into town, but Severus had no doubts he would be back before the day was over.

Severus was, sadly, proved right not four hours later when he and Hermione, after spending some time together at _Tomes and Scrolls_ and then separately at _Potage_ 's and _Gladrags_ , settled into a relatively quiet booth at _The Three Broomsticks_ and ended up with an uninvited guest at their table. Before Severus could ask Holbreath to kindly remove his person from their presence, Filius and Rolanda pushed their way onto the bench seat. 

"It's a right circus out there," Rolanda said. "Filius and I were beginning to think we'd have to share with the students." 

Hermione laughed politely. Severus refrained from speaking - it was all the politeness he could manage now that his lunch plans were thoroughly ruined. He did however take some pleasure in the fact that Hermione, sitting between him and Holbreath, ignored Holbreath in favour of discussing Severus' experiments with him. Hermione was the type to gesture with her hands as she talked, drawing patterns into the air. If not for that, Severus would have been tempted to hold her hand under the table for the duration of lunch. 

Filius and Rolanda left quickly after lunch, thankfully dragging Holbreath with them. It gave Severus a few uninterrupted minutes with Hermione before he had to be back at Hogwarts for a meeting with a representative of the Hogwarts Board of Governors. The meeting went better than expected, but it dragged on until it was almost time for dinner. Hoping that Hermione wasn't back yet, Severus hurried down the stairs and across the entrance hall towards the secret passage that would take him directly to the corridor in front of his and Hermione's private quarters. 

"--appily married!"

The voice made Severus stop in his tracks. He turned around. Hermione and Holbreath were standing just inside the doors. Hermione had her arms crossed over her chest and she did not sound pleased. 

"Surely you can't expect me to believe that!" Holbreath exclaimed with a laugh. 

"What is that supposed to mean?" 

"I thought you were joking the first time you said it," Holbreath said. "Sprout said it was true, but I'm still not convinced." 

"Well, thankfully I don't need to convince you of anything." 

"You don't touch," Holbreath continued as if Hermione hadn't spoken. "Half the time you two don't even talk to each other. To other people it looks like you and the headmaster don't even like each other." 

Severus could see Hermione's fingers clench in the way that meant she was trying not to reach for her wand and hex someone. "Listen, _Al_ , I've been telling you - politely - since you started working here that I am not interested in you. I've tried simply telling you I wasn't interested, and when that didn't work, I've tried to make you aware of the fact that I am happily married and have no intention of changing that." 

Holbreath looked like he wanted to interrupt, but Hermione cut him off before he even started. 

"No, I'm talking now. The fact that you don't think my husband and I share enough affection to be happy together doesn't mean a thing because my marriage is none of your business and my personal relationships aren't yours to judge, comment on or otherwise waste any thoughts on. I've told you no, and you should have respected that. It has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that I am married. If I weren't married, it would still not be acceptable to pressure someone into accepting any sort of relationship that they don't want." 

Hermione reached into her pocket and pulled out the coreopsis Holbreath had given her that morning. It had lost a few of its petals and was looking rather rumpled and faded after a day in Hermione's coat pocket. With a flick of her wand, Hermione transfigured the coreopsis into a fresh-looking [purple snapdragon flower](http://www.photos-public-domain.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/purple-snapdragon-flowers.jpg) and handed it to Holbreath with a flourish. 

"There you go." When he hesitantly reached for the flower, Hermione held on to it until he met her eyes. "I assume there will be no need for further discussion of this topic, Professor Holbreath." 

Holbreath looked down at the snapdragon flower and nodded. "No, Professor Snape." 

"Good. I'm glad to see we finally understand each other." With that, Hermione turned on her heel and headed towards the doorway where Severus was still standing. She raised her eyebrow at him, but didn't comment when he held the door open for her and waited for her to precede him downstairs. 

"How much of that exchange did you hear?" she finally asked, draping her outer robes over the back of the sofa. 

"Most of it," Severus admitted. "I was on my way down when you came in. May I ask what prompted your outburst today? Holbreath hasn't been exactly subtle these last few months." 

"He tried to kiss me," Hermione said. She smirked. "It's the reason why he was limping." 

"He was? I hadn't noticed," Severus said mildly. 

"You might not have noticed it, but Holbreath is going to be noticing it for the next few days." Hermione narrowed her eyes. "Don't do anything too horrid to him." 

Severus wasn't fooled. Hermione had a carefully hidden devious streak - there was a reason Potter and Weasley feared her as much as they adored her. However, a change of topic was probably advisable. It wouldn't do to inform his wife of - and thus implicate her in - any future mishaps that might befall Holbreath until the school year was over and he could hire a new Arithmancy professor for the coming year.

"I had planned a very nice lunch for us today," Severus said. "I hadn't planned for it to turn into an impromptu faculty lunch." He reached into his pocket and handed Hermione an elaborately crafted crystal vial. It contained one perfectly shaped, brown-flecked, deep orange [tiger lily](http://fc05.deviantart.net/fs48/i/2009/174/f/d/Orange_Tiger_Lily_by_Shorti354.jpg) in a clear preserving fluid.

Severus cleared his throat when Hermione simply continued to stare at the flower. "I do assume correctly that you are familiar with the language of the flowers?"

"I am." Hermione smiled, finally raising her eyes. "Thank you for the flower; it's perfect. But you know this isn't necessary."

"I know. However, you do seem to enjoy the occasional gift or compliment even when they aren't _necessary_."

Hermione laughed. "Are we still talking about Holbreath? I don't deny that I enjoyed the attention a little, but not nearly half as much as you seem to think, Severus. Most of the appeal, to be honest, came from seeing you grit your teeth in jealousy. You know I only have eyes for you."  
He hadn't doubted her, but hearing it still put Severus more at ease than he would have imagined. "I know." 

Hermione's expression shifted into something more speculative. "Funny you should give me a present on Valentine's Day this year."

"How so?"

"I have a present for you as well."

Severus waited as Hermione un-shrunk her purchases and then rifled through the _Gladrags_ bag. She took out something so small that Severus wondered for a moment if it was still shrunk. 

"I didn't have time to wrap it." 

It was a pair of pale yellow knitted baby boots. For the first time in years, Severus was shocked into speechlessness. He shot a questioning glance at Hermione. 

Hermione nodded. "Happy Valentine's Day, Severus!" 

Their celebration lasted well into the night, and the next morning at breakfast, Severus and Hermione both looked a little worse for wear. Rolanda made a rude joke at their expense and Hermione turned to him with such a blinding smile that Severus couldn't stop himself from smiling back. It shocked half the table into stunned silence while the rest of the teachers were still tittering.

That day, Severus enjoyed the way the slight smile on his face made the students skittish. He stumbled across a group of Gryffindors taking bets on who the poor bastard had been that he must have killed to be in such a good mood. Severus assigned them detention for the rest of the month with Filch and walked on, the smile still tugging at the corner of his mouth while he contemplated his newfound appreciation of Valentine's Day.

**Author's Note:**

> According to [this site](http://www.transcommunication.org/index.php/language-of-flowers), Coreopsis stands for love at first sight. Snapdragon means a refusal ("You are nothing to me"). The Tiger Lily stands for passion as means to say "my love knows no bounds" according to the website. Red roses are just so clichéd, right? *g*


End file.
